Threatened Species Sandhill Crane Sightings Increase to 350 in Ohio Wetland Areas

(Photo : Al Messerschmidt / Getty Images)
350 sightings of Sandhill Cranes, have been reported Ohio's wetlands.

Sandhill Cranes, a threatened species, have been spotted most recently in Ohio's wetlands. Sightings reported have reached 350 counts.

Threatened Species Sandhill Crane

A tall wading bird with a long neck and beak is becoming more and more common in Ohio.

A recent volunteer-driven study of the bird discovered more than 350 sightings in Ohio, where the sandhill crane was previously entirely extinct.

Since the sandhill crane returned to Ohio in 1987, volunteers have been working to assist wildlife officials in tracking its condition.

Given their size and preference for open habitats, sandhill cranes are quite simple to detect if birdwatchers focus on the correct areas. They may be found in tiny bogs, marshes, and prairies throughout northern and southeastern North America in the summer. In locations like Texas' Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge and New Mexico's Bosque del Apache, they gather in vast flocks throughout the winter. Their distinctive bugling sounds are audible for kilometers, according to All About Birds.

Increased Sightings

According to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources database, the most current study covered 30 of Ohio's 88 counties. In 24 of those counties, the sandhill crane was sighted, with the six counties having the highest number of sightings being Wayne with 96 counts of sightings, Lucas with 77, Geauga with 63, Ottawa with 18, Logan with 15, and Williams with15 counts of sandhill crane sightings.

Sandhills like to nest in the Wayne County wildlife areas of Killbuck Marsh and Funk Bottoms. Volunteers combed a 10-square-mile survey block's crane habitat.

According to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, this year's census marked the third consecutive year that the Buckeye State has tracked the condition of sandhill cranes.

Volunteers only counted 160 of the birds in 2021. The ODNR reports that in 2022, that figure increased slightly to 311 sightings. According to officials, Ohio continues to list the sandhill crane as a threatened species.

According to officials, sandhill crane sightings are most likely to occur in wetland regions, FOX8 reports.

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